Ghosts of Mississippi

1996
PG-13
2h 10m

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

12K

YOUR RATING

Whoopi Goldberg, James Woods, and Alec Baldwin in Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)

Play trailer2:09

1 Video

55 Photos

Docudrama Legal Drama Drama History

A Mississippi district attorney and the widow of Medgar Evers struggle to finally bring a white supremacist to justice for the 1963 murder of the civil rights leader.A Mississippi district attorney and the widow of Medgar Evers struggle to finally bring a white supremacist to justice for the 1963 murder of the civil rights leader.A Mississippi district attorney and the widow of Medgar Evers struggle to finally bring a white supremacist to justice for the 1963 murder of the civil rights leader.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

12K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 2 wins & 9 nominations total

Trivia
Yolanda King, the daughter of civil rights activist Martin Luther King, portrayed Medgar Evers' daughter Reena Evers in this film.

Goofs
When the DeLaughter and his investigators drive up to a gas station, the prices for gas are all under a dollar. When DeLaughter is on the phone to Myrlie Evers standing on the other side of the signs, the prices are all now over a dollar.

Quotes
Myrlie Evers: [quoting Medgar Evers] When you hate, the only person who suffers is you, because most of the people you hate don't know it and the others don't care.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Evita/Beavis and Butt-Head Do America/One Fine Day/My Fellow Americans/Scream/Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)

Soundtracks
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free
Music by Billy Taylor
Lyrics by Billy Taylor and Dick Dallas
Performed by Dionne Farris
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User reviews78

Review

Featured review

7/10

We never get even for the wrong we done.

It may not be the best film about race relations in the South. Mississippi Burning and A Time To Kill have more intensity, but it is still compelling and worth watching for some great performances.

Alec Balwin (Bobby DeLaughter) turned in a fine performance. Personally, I feel it is the best he has ever done.

James Woods was perfect as Byron De La Beckwith. He channeled the venomous hatred and cocky arrogance so familiar in those who were consumed with their self-worth, gained by stomping on others. This performance resulted in an Oscar nomination in a year with many fine performances.

Dixie DeLaughter, played by Virginia Madsen, shows how ingrained racism is in the South, and how difficult, if not impossible, it is for a marriage to survive with a disparity in views, whether it be race or politics.

I also enjoyed seeing Wayne Rogers as Morris Dees, even if it was a small role.

This is an important film that should be seen by all who care about the state of race relations in this country.

It should also be see by all young people so they can see a sign at a gas station saying 22 cents a gallon. Those were the days.